Deserter by Matthew Dear

Since his debut at the decade's beginning, Matthew Dear has been championed as North America's brightest new electronic talent. His 2003 debut, Leave Luck To Heaven, garnered unequivocal praise from the likes of Rolling Stone, Spin and Entertainment Weekly for its substantive paring of icy beats and engaging vocals.

In the period since, Dear has conquered the international techno scene under the alias of Audion, with incessant touring and the release of club hits like the explosive Fall 2006 release "Mouth To Mouth". With his new single, "Deserter", and the forthcoming Asa Breed LP, Dear works again under his birthname to bring his atmospheric production to the music that he first started producing, vocal pop.

Deserter is an elegant marriage of effects and melody, including his best lyricism to date. Its blue dawn music, submerged in a warm gauze of synths and hum, deftly anchored by a relentless backbeat. The exclusive "You Know What I Would Do" hits the dance vibe that Dear is known for with a Prince-esque minimalism and funk, while the flip side hosts Four Tet's dreamy reinterpretation of "Deserter", owing as much to classic Detroit techno as it does to Balearic Island classics.